◎Reporter Zhang Jiaxing


　　A netizen on the Chinese government’s website asks: The three batches of centralized procurement of drugs organized by the state are very welcome by the common people, but we cannot buy cheap drugs in the centralized procurement catalog at all in hospitals or outpatient clinics. We hope that relevant departments can solve the problem.

　　"I personally also often receive various consultation text messages from relatives and friends, asking where to buy certain medicine." On June 18, at a press conference held by the National Medical Insurance Bureau, Peking University Cancer Hospital Gastrointestinal Leng Jiahua, a cancer center expert and director of the medical insurance service department, said at the meeting that there were indeed some service blind spots in the previous drug supply.

So, has the problem of not being able to buy medicines for medical insurance negotiations been resolved?

Where can I buy these safe, effective and affordable medicines?

　　On June 18, the National Medical Insurance Administration issued a list of institutions for negotiating drug allocation (the second batch). This batch of lists covers 84,000 designated medical institutions across the country, and 92 medical insurance drugs have been equipped accordingly.

This list gives patients the ability to "vote with their feet"

　　"Drugs are equipped with market attributes. Drugs need to comply with market laws from the production workshops of companies, through the circulation field, and then to medical institutions." Shi Luwen, a professor at the School of Pharmacy of Peking University, said that the major premise for the supply of drugs is that companies need to be in the market. Continue to ensure the supply of medicines regularly.

　　In other words, to solve the supply and equipment of medicines, it cannot be solved in a "simple and rude" way through the government's administrative means to intervene in "planned rationing" as some people imagine.

　　How to respect the laws of the market and effectively guide the less profitable drugs to enter pharmacies and hospitals?

　　This tests the management wisdom of the national medical insurance institutions.

　　"If a medical institution does not have any innovative drugs, patients will vote with their feet, and most likely will not go there for treatment." Leng Jiahua explained the "one step and three steps" contained in the announced list. Wisdom, there was no way for the public to inquire, and there was no public announcement on the Internet. It is difficult to know which medicines each medical institution dispenses, but now it can be checked. If the medical service capabilities of the two medical institutions are almost the same, which one can enter More medicines means that it is better in terms of patient services.

　　In other words, once the information on the provision of negotiated drugs is symmetrical among pharmaceutical companies, medical institutions, and the public, patients will "vote with their feet."

In turn, it also promotes the enthusiasm of medical institutions and pharmacies to equip medical insurance drugs.

　　To this end, the National Medical Insurance Administration has established a reporting mechanism, organized relevant companies to report the availability of 92 negotiated drugs, developed a reporting and query module on the national medical insurance service platform, and set up an access port on the home page, allowing patients to pass through the country. The medical insurance service platform App can inquire about 92 drug distribution agencies.

　　The data shows that compared with April (the first batch of negotiated drug allocation institutions reference list), the provision of urgently needed drugs in clinical practice has continued to improve.

The number of 19 clinically-needed drug provision institutions increased from 3324 to 5572, an increase of 68%.

The number of provinces covered has also continued to increase, and the average number of provinces covered has increased from 22 to 25.

This list also reveals the "soft power" of medical institutions and pharmacies

　　"The latest international therapeutic drugs in the field of tumor treatment in recent years, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy drugs, are reflected in the newly included drugs of our National Medical Insurance Bureau in 2020." Chairman of the China Cancer Foundation, China Professor Shi Yuankai of the Cancer Hospital of the Academy of Medical Sciences said that the total number of institutions equipped with cancer treatment drugs has increased to varying degrees, and the total number of pharmaceutical institutions with the most increase has increased by 244%.

　　"Whether medical institutions can include the drugs that the country has negotiated for admission into their actual services is a test of the public welfare and comprehensive management capabilities of medical institutions." Leng Jiahua said frankly that buying innovative medicines is different from buying instant noodles and sausages. , It’s not enough to eat, doctors need to master the professional experience of using these new drugs, and more professional pharmacy services are needed to support them.

　　In addition to equipping more professional pharmacy personnel for technical support, medical institutions and pharmacies also need to consider cost issues.

Pharmacies need to be equipped with more product specifications, logistics and storage costs have also increased, all of which need to be digested with modern hospital management methods.

　　“For example, how to achieve the goal of reducing inventory and reducing costs by improving the application of the hospital’s internal information system is very complicated.” Leng Jiahua said, “As long as the majority of patients have not been able to use drugs effectively and safely, medical care will be guaranteed. The “last mile” of the service has not been completed. This last mile requires the joint efforts of all parties."

　　According to reports, the National Medical Insurance Administration will continue to expand the scope of negotiated drug submissions, optimize reporting procedures, improve the regular release mechanism, strengthen guidance and scheduling, and promote the landing of negotiated drugs through continuous update and release of the list of negotiated drug allocation agencies.